tennis

As is often wrongly assumed, tennis is not an English invention, but originated in the 13th century in northern French monasteries. From there it spread further, rackets are only mentioned in 1495, before that tennis was played by hand.

Tennis is a ball game played by 2 or 4 players. Opponents face each other on a playing field separated by a net. Now an attempt is made to play the ball into the opponent's field with the help of the racket in such a way that the opponent is no longer able to play it back normally.

The aim of the game is to win a necessary number of sets. After the ball has touched the ground no more than once, it must be returned in such a way that it lands within the opponent's field. The complete game is divided into sets, which in turn consist of several games. A set is won when a player has won 6 or 7 games. Since a tennis game is not limited in time, it can take a long time until a winner is determined.

In tennis, the ball is played on the side of the batting hand, the forehand is one of the basic strokes with a backhand and serve. With the backhand, the ball is hit on the opposite side of the batting hand. Compared to the forehand, this sequence of movements is more complex and the shot to the forehand is comparatively more difficult to execute. The serve initiates the rally. The referee is mandatory in professional tournaments, he is the decisive authority in rule decisions. He is supported by many line judges.

Professional tennis is characterized by international tournaments, in which points for the tennis world rankings are awarded. The world ranking position of the players decides on the eligibility to participate or seeding position in the individual tournaments. In Germany, tennis is organized by the DTB (German Tennis Association), which is divided into regional associations. The DTB organizes the league games, the tournaments, the national team and also trains tennis coaches.